4 Things that Lucoa and Quetzalcoatl have in Common

 Lucoa is a character from the anime Ms. Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. In this post, I'm going to explain how much she has in common with Quetzalcoatl (the Aztec god of the wind and wisdom).

1. They are both wise 

Lucoa is called upon for her wisdom in the show. Quetzalcoatl is the Aztec god of wisdom. 

2. They both have an embarassing and scandalous backstory

In Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl's brother Tezcatlipoca tricked him into drinking pulque which caused him to commit incest with his sister while he was intoxicated. Lucoa did something similar and lost her position as a goddess because of her shame, so she describes herself as an "ex-goddess" in the show. Quetzalcoatl either offed himself or exiled himself depending on the version of the myth. This story can be found in the codex Chimalpopoca and is associated with a human ruler of Tula named after the god, but for some reason the man and the god's stories are intertwined. It's complicated.

3. They spread civilization to humans, including knowledge of agriculture

In Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl defied the will of other gods by deciding to help humans. He introduced them to CORN, the best crop ever. This helped them build civilization. It's kind of like how Prometheus defied the gods in Greek mythology by introducing humans to fire. 

4. They are both associated with the planet Venus

Quetzalcoatl and his brother Xolotl are associated with the planet Venus. Lucoa is too, for some reason.

I'm only on episode 6 right now but if I spot more similarities, I'll let y'all know.

On Instagram I made a similar post as this except it just went into detail about the scandalous backstory. 

This story about Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl has more feels in it than Romeo and Juliet

Alright, so this legend is Mexica (Aztec) and has been passed down from generation to generation. There are quite a few different versions, so I'm just going to stick to the coolest one. They're all really similar anyway. This story is about the mountains Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, which overlook the valley of Mexico, and why they are shaped the way they are. Popocatépetl is an active volcano and Iztaccihuatl is a very low volcano which has been inactive for thousands of years and which some say is in the shape of a woman sleeping on her back.

The story that I'm about to tell you is extremely romantic and will give you the feels if you're that sort of person, so I suggest you get a box of tissues and some soothing hot chocolate before you start reading it. Chances are that if you've cried at the end of the Shakespeare play "Romeo and Juliet", you'll cry even more after hearing this. 

Once upon a time, there was a princess named Iztaccíhuatl and a warrior named Popocatépetl who were i n  l o v e . However, Iztaccihuatl's father did not want them to get married. So he told Popocatepetl that he would let the warrior marry Iztaccihuatl if he returned from battle with the head of some person that Iztaccihuatl's father hated. The emperor assumed and hoped Popocatepetl would just die. 

I like this drawing because she's like "noooo don't leave me" and he's like "I'm sorry but I must." The artist's name is Nadine Takvorian.

While Popocatepetl was away, the emperor assumed he would die, so he arranged for a bunch of other suitors for his daughter. One of these suitors gave Iztaccihuatl the false message that Popocatepetl had died. Upon hearing this, Iztaccihuatl killed herself with a dagger. 

This is me at this point in the story.

Soon Popocatepetl came back victorious with the head of the enemy, but he was devastated upon learning  that Iztaccihuatl had died. He needed some way to honour her, so he carried her body into the mountains. 

Credits to Nadine Takvorian 

He stood there watching Iztaccihuatl and soon the gods turned the star-crossed lovers into mountains so that they could be together forever. That's why the volcano of Iztaccihuatl resembles a d e A d woman. Every time Popocatepetl remembers his beloved, the volcano smokes. That's the soul of Popocatepetl calling out to Iztaccihuatl or something like that. 

IDK who the artist is

It's a really moving story *coNSumEd by FEeLs*. What do you think of it? Does it remind you of anything that has happened in your love life? Were you once involved in a forbidden romance? Thanks for checking out this blog and be sure to follow!

Top 5 Scary Things from Aztec/Mexica Folklore that will get you in your sleep

Scary, creepy, and strange things from Mesoamerican mythology... 

Niltze, everyone. I have sort of been neglecting and procrastinating on this blog, but finally I got an idea for a quality post. Every culture has scary stories. These can be used to scare children into behaving. They can also be connected to a superstition. Today I'm going to talk about my five favourite scary myths of the Mexica/Aztec people. One of my friends helped me with the research for this post. Her name is Nahuaconetl Xocoyotzin. You can stalk her Deviantart account here. She is a wonderful artist who is very interested in Mexico. 

I have arranged this list from least scariest to most scariest. None of the pictures belong to me unless I say so.  So let's begin! 

5: The Ahuitzotl 

The Ahuitzotl was a creature that came in various sizes. It resembled a dog or cat with bluish fur and had a long tail ending with a human hand. The Ahuitzotl was associated with water. It was said that this animal killed humans by swimming around in bodies of water and waiting for people to enter the water. Once the people entered, it would grab them with the hand of its tail and pull them down until they drowned. At least if you were killed by the Ahuitzotl you'd end up in Tlalocan, the land of the rain teotl/god Tlaloc, which is supposed to be an awesome and luxurious afterlife.



This screenshot is actually from the tv show My Little Pony. Who knew there were Aztecs in MLP?

Here are some drawings I did of the Ahuitzotl: 

 





Remember that you can stalk me on Deviantart for more Mesoamerican fanart: http://aztecatl13.deviantart.com/ 

Here is another drawing I did called 'What the Ahuitzotl dragged in'. It shows an Ahuitzotl bringing a drowned child to Tlalocan. The goddess shown is Chalchuitlicue, the wife of Tlaloc, who was associated with water bodies rather than rain. 

Here is an Aztec chimalli (shield) depicting this creature:

There was also a Mexica tlatoani (ruler) named Ahuitzotl after this creature. Here is a codex drawing of him:

There is a website which everyone who likes the Mexica/Aztecs knows about called Mexicolore. They have done a great article on the Ahuitzotl so if you would like to learn more about it, here's a link: 

http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/aztefacts/water-dog-detective 

4: The Mirror-Headed Bird

This next creature has a pretty self-explanatory name. The mirror-headed bird. I have no idea how the Mexica come up with such strange creatures. But to the Mexica, this bird was a terrible omen which meant something bad was going to happen. One post-Aztec story tells that emperor Moctezuma Xocoyotzin (Moctezuma the 2nd. Yes, that's the famous one) was presented with this bird, shortly before the Spaniards arrived. The mirror that this bird has instead of a face is a strange mirror, because it it you are supposed to see stars and the universe instead of your own reflection in it. 



This image is from the Florentine codex.

I drew it once, but I can't find the picture as it wasn't on my DA :P . 

So here is a Alice-in-Wonderland looking picture that looks similar: 




3: The Cipactli 

This next story shows how the mythology of the indigenous people could have huge similarities sometimes, showing how they were all related throughout the continent. According to the Aztec creation story, the world was once only water. In order to bring the earth into existence, the gods who were usually enemies, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca, had to team up to slay the Cipactli, a giant caimain-ish crocodillian aquatic creature. The back of this monster became the earth. One of Tezcatlipoca's feet were bitten off while he fought Cipactli. 

By the way, the word 'cipactli' also means caiman or crocodile in Nahuatl, the language of the Mexica. 

The reason why I thought this story was similar to other indigenous tales was because it reminded me of the Iroquois and Cherokee creation story in which the earth was built on the back of a huge turtle. Some indigenous people call North America 'turtle island' for this reason. The Taino people of the Caribbean also have a similar creation story that happened on the back of a caiman.

And here is a codex illustration of the creature: 

  

2: The Tzitzimeme

This is getting creepier. The Tzitzimeme were she-demons who harassed people in the forest at night. (singular: Tzitzimitl). They were associated with the stars and could turn into eagles and vultures. They had long claw-like nails and starry wings. Their queen was the goddess Itzpapalotl (her name means 'obsidian butterfly'). It is said that at the end of the world, they will devour humanity. These are some of Nahuaconetl's favorites. They remind me in some ways of Dionysus' maenads in Greco-Roman mythology.





1: The Night-Axe

You are a travelling pochtecatl (merchant) who is spending the night in a forest. You are awoken by the sound of someone cutting wood. Out of curiosity, you follow the noise, only to find a HEADLESS MAN WITH AN OPENING IN HIS CHEST HOLDING AN AXE. You are decapitated and your head is put into the opening in the Night-Axe's chest. Here is a drawing by Kama-zotz on deviantart, the best mesoamerican related artist on DA.

Nahuaconetl says it looks like a sacrificial victim. I agree with her. 

The Aztecs did human sacrifices which involved slitting open a person's chest and tearing out their beating heart. You probably know this already. It's that thing about the Aztecs that everyone knows. But there is so much more to them than human sacrifices. You have to remember that many cultures all over the world did human sacrifices. You also have to remember that even the Spaniards, who were Christians, sacrificed the Aztecs by burning them alive in the name of Jesus. The Spanish may have exaggerated the number of people who the Aztecs sacrificed as well. So really, you can not say the Mexica were more bloodthirsty than anyone else. 

Anyway, there is a codex depicting the entity but I can't find it now :(  It was next to a picture of the god Tezcatlipoca in jaguar form.How terrifying. I only heard of this legend recently, while I came across a reference to it in the historical fiction book called 'Aztec Blood' by Gary Jennings. Gary Jennings writes excellent historical fiction on not just the Aztecs but other cultures from around the world as well. Check out his books. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Thanks for giving Wannabehistorian1491 yet another page view. Have a great day!